Press Releases

Johannesburg South Africa, and Bangalore, India: Aspen Pharmacare (Aspen), Africa’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturer and the largest generics manufacturer in the southern hemisphere, has entered into a series of transactions with Bangalore-based Strides Arcolab Limited (Strides), one of India’s largest exporters of pharmaceutical products. The transactions comprise: the acquisition by Aspen of 50% of Strides’ Latin American operations (“Strides Latina”). Strides Latina is an operation owned by Strides Arcolab Limited mainly operating in Brazil as Cellofarm and in Mexico as Solara, with a marketing and trading operation in Venezuela as Sumifarma; the formation of a 50% joint venture with Strides to develop, manufacture and commercialise a range of oncology products on a global basis through Powercliff Limited (“Powercliff”) and Onco Therapies Limited (“Onco”); the acquisition by Strides of a 51% interest in Co-pharma Limited (“Co-pharma”), Aspen’s 100% owned United Kingdom-based subsidiary; and the acquisition by Strides of 80% of the equity in Formula Naturelle (Pty) Ltd which will, in turn, own a basket of nutraceutical products currently marketed by Aspen Pharmacare in South Africa. Arun Kumar, Strides’ Vice Chairman and Managing Director said “we are delighted to enhance the already rewarding partnership with Aspen and to broaden the strategic relationship into a global partnership through the four transactions being announced today. Aspen has been Strides’ first key partner and I am particularly delighted that the partnership has grown, based on strong fundamentals of capability and trust. ——————————————————————————– It has always been a delight working with Aspen and with this new alliance, and I am extremely confident that we will create significant new value for both companies. Having worked with Stephen Saad, Gus Attridge, Aspen’s Deputy Group CE and their management team, this strategic conclusion will be ground breaking in many respects and I look forward to working closely with them to create a solid regional Pharma company in Latin America. The opportunity to create a leading oncolytics operation in a niche and difficult domain, bodes well for the Oncolytics JV. Stephen Saad, Aspen Group Chief Executive said “we have worked closely with Strides since 2003. The close collaboration of the past 4 years has resulted in Strides becoming a significant manufacturing and development partner to Aspen in both Africa and Australasia. Today, I am happy to announce that we will forge an even closer partnership. This partnership will be extended to Latin America, Global Oncolytics, Co-pharma in the UK, and Nutraceuticals in South Africa. It has always been a part of the Aspen strategy to enter the Latin American pharmaceutical market. However, until now, we had been unable to find a platform company through which to enter these markets. We were fortunate enough that, through Strides, we have a partner who has had experience and success in this market. Cellofarm is the number two player in the Brazilian hospital market. Furthermore, it has sufficient presence to begin the process of leveraging Aspen’s extensive product portfolio into these markets. The addition of Aspen’s existing intellectual property (IP), Aspen’s front end marketing capabilities, and the combined pipelines of Strides will give impetus to Cellofarm in these branded generic markets. These markets are challenging and have high barriers to entry and, given this launch pad, they should prove key markets into the future for leveraging the significant IP that already vests with Aspen, as well as roll-out of the local manufacturing facilities. Strides and Aspen have a shared vision regarding sterile manufacture and the extension to Oncolytics will complete the basket to the existing capabilities that we are developing around hormonal and other sterile capabilities. ——————————————————————————– We are excited by the opportunity these initiatives offer our organisations. I would also like to thank Arun Kumar, the Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Strides and his team for their efforts in achieving the above. Aspen has been privileged to have enjoyed this close partnership with Strides and from this we have drawn much confidence as we take this partnership to the next level. These investments in Latin America and Oncolytics are important strategic steps in the internationalisation of Aspen which I expect should be value enhancing for Aspen’s shareholders in the medium term. Furthermore, we have sold a majority share in Co-pharma and our South African Nutraceuticals business. We believe the Strides business model is better suited to creating value in these businesses.” The completion of the transactions is subject to the signing of legal agreements and is subject to the Exchange Control approval of the South African Reserve Bank and the approval of the Reserve Bank of India and Strides’ bankers and other financial institutions, as appropriate. Issued by: Shauneen Beukes, Shauneen Beukes Communications Tel: +27 12 661 8467 : Cell: 082 389 8900 Fax: +27 088 12 661 8467 On Behalf Of: Stephen Saad, Aspen Group CE Tel: +27 31 580-8602 Fax: +27 31 580 8640 Gus Attridge, Aspen Deputy Group CE Tel: +27 31 5808604 Fax: +27 31 580 8640 aspenpharma.com Arun Kumar, Strides Vice Chairman & MD or Ravi Seth, Strides Group CFO Tel: +91 80 6658 0110 Fax: +91 80 6658 0200 www.stridesarco.com Harini Iyengar, Adafctors PR, Bangalore Tel: +91 80 4113 32062/64 Fax: +91 80 4113 3059 ——————————————————————————– The Transactions Details of each of the transactions outlined above are as follows: a) Aspen will acquire a 50% interest Strides Latina via the acquisition of shares from Strides for US$ 58.5 million and the subscription for shares in Strides-Aspen Latina (owned 100% by Strides) for US$94 million. This consideration is subject to adjustment should the earnings for the year following the effective date not reach certain levels. Following the first year after the effective date, Aspen will have an option to buy, and Strides to sell, Strides remaining 50% interest in Strides Latina. b) Aspen and Strides will enter into a 50% joint venture to develop, manufacture and commercialise oncology products. Aspen will purchase 50% of the issued share capital of Powercliff from Strides for US$25.75 million and will subscribe for 49% of the share capital of Onco and

JSE listed Aspen, a leading global manufacturer and distributor of anti-retroviral (ARV) medicines, today announced that it has been granted certification from the Medicines Control Council of South Africa (MCC) to manufacture and distribute the two key ARV products Viread® (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) and Truvada® (emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) in the South African market. This certification enables immediate availability of these two products to South African patients, particularly the many hundreds that have been receiving treatment with these medicines under the special named patient exemption permitted by MCC. Both Viread® and Truvada® have extensive usage in North America, Europe and some African countries. Last week both products were included in the World Health Organisation’s revised Essential Medicines List. The registration of Viread® and Truvada® follows the non-exclusive manufacturing, licensing, technology transfer and distribution agreement which Aspen entered into in 2005 with leading research-based biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences, Inc. (Nasdaq: GILD). Under this agreement, Aspen will manufacture and distribute these products for all 53 African countries. On receipt of the certification, Aspen Group CE, Stephen Saad said, “Both Viread® and Truvada® represent significant advantages for patients to existing first line ARV treatments, for example patient compliance is enhanced through simpler and more convenient dosing, and Viread® and Truvada® do not seem to exhibit some of the unwanted side effects that place patients at increased risk of other morbidities with some of the other ARVs.” Saad went on to comment that, “Tenofovir is now the most prescribed molecule for the treatment of HIV/AIDS patients in the United States, and the MCC’s certification means that South African patients can now begin to enjoy the same benefits as patients have in the developed world, but at significantly reduced prices. The market availability of Viread® and Truvada® has been long anticipated by South African patients, particularly given the scale up of AIDS treatment in South Africa and many existing and new South African patients now stand to benefit from this certification, in a country when the total number of infected HIV patients is the second highest in the world.”

Co Cork, Ireland (April 4th, 2007) – Tibotec Pharmaceuticals Ltd. has signed a royalty-free, non-exclusive license agreement with Aspen of South Africa. Aspen will register, package and distribute the protease inhibitor PREZISTA™ (darunavir, DRV) in sub-Saharan Africa. Tibotec has selected Aspen because of the company’s extensive African distribution network and pioneering endeavors in enhancing access to AIDS treatment in resource constrained settings. Aspen and Tibotec will share the responsibility for ensuring prompt and affordable access to patients in the Sub-Saharan region. As a result of the agreement there will be a single co-branded product, under the brand name PREZISTA, distributed by Aspen and sold at a an ex-factory price that should not exceed US$3 a day. (The product will be offered on a FOB basis – incoterm 2000. Additional costs may include the logistics fee in South Africa, or the freight, insurance, customs handling, taxes and duties, and other costs levied at the discretion of national authorities and other respective entities in the other sub Saharan countries, which are beyond the control of Aspen and Tibotec. Local retail prices may therefore be higher.) PREZISTA, co-administered with ritonavir and with other antiretroviral agents (ARVs), is expected to be indicated for treatment-experienced patients, especially those failing an earlier regimen that includes a protease-inhibitor. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 4% of people receiving antiretroviral treatment in low- and middle-income countries today need advanced treatment options because of HIV drug resistance. Aspen will seek timely regulatory approval for PREZISTA and manage the mechanism for pre-approval access for patients in sub Saharan Africa in urgent need of PREZISTA where this is permitted by local health authorities. Tibotec is responsible for seeking pre-qualification from the World Health Organization and sNDA approval in order to facilitate the funding of PREZISTA by international organizations. Tibotec, prior to the signing of this agreement, has filed the PREZISTA dossier for regulatory approval in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia. The agreement covers all of sub-Saharan Africa. Twenty countries, with an estimated 80% of total patient need for PREZISTA in sub-Saharan Africa, will be targeted for the first wave of regulatory submissions. These countries are Botswana, Cameroon, Democratic Rep. Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The agreement also creates a framework for the manufacture of PREZISTA by Aspen for sub-Saharan Africa at a later date if sustained demand for PREZISTA increases sufficiently to make it economically viable for Aspen. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to PREZISTA, a protease inhibitor formerly known as TMC114, in June 2006. The European Commission granted conditional approval in February 2007. “More and more patients in Sub-Saharan Africa are in need of access to new therapies when their existing regimens fail. Tibotec is pleased to be working with a local partner in sub-Saharan Africa to expedite pre-approval access, registration and the development of sustainable supply-chains to meet patient need,” said Julie McHugh, Company Group Chairman, Virology, Tibotec. “One of the single biggest challenges facing the future sustainability of ARV programs in the developing world, is the development of more accessible and affordable second- and third-line antiretrovirals. This Tibotec initiative provides further evidence of the confidence placed in the capabilities of Aspen and is yet another important step, in securing certainty in the supply of critical ARVs to patients living with AIDS in the developing world,” said Stephen Saad, Aspen Group Chief Executive.

Johannesburg South Africa, and Bangalore, India: Aspen Pharmacare (Aspen), Africa’s largest pharmaceutical manufacturer and the largest generics manufacturer in the southern hemisphere, has entered into a series of transactions with Bangalore-based Strides Arcolab Limited (Strides), one of India’s largest exporters of pharmaceutical products. The transactions comprise: the acquisition by Aspen of 50% of Strides’ Latin American operations (“Strides Latina”). Strides Latina is an operation owned by Strides Arcolab Limited mainly operating in Brazil as Cellofarm and in Mexico as Solara, with a marketing and trading operation in Venezuela as Sumifarma; the formation of a 50% joint venture with Strides to develop, manufacture and commercialise a range of oncology products on a global basis through Powercliff Limited (“Powercliff”) and Onco Therapies Limited (“Onco”); the acquisition by Strides of a 51% interest in Co-pharma Limited (“Co-pharma”), Aspen’s 100% owned United Kingdom-based subsidiary; and the acquisition by Strides of 80% of the equity in Formula Naturelle (Pty) Ltd which will, in turn, own a basket of nutraceutical products currently marketed by Aspen Pharmacare in South Africa.  Arun Kumar, Strides’ Vice Chairman and Managing Director said “we are delighted to enhance the already rewarding partnership with Aspen and to broaden the strategic relationship into a global partnership through the four transactions being announced today. Aspen has been Strides’ first key partner and I am particularly delighted that the partnership has grown, based on strong fundamentals of capability and trust. It has always been a delight working with Aspen and with this new alliance, and I am extremely confident that we will create significant new value for both companies. Having worked with Stephen Saad, Gus Attridge, Aspen’s Deputy Group CE and their management team, this strategic conclusion will be ground breaking in many respects and I look forward to working closely with them to create a solid regional Pharma company in Latin America. The opportunity to create a leading oncolytics operation in a niche and difficult domain, bodes well for the Oncolytics JV. Stephen Saad, Aspen Group Chief Executive said “we have worked closely with Strides since 2003. The close collaboration of the past 4 years has resulted in Strides becoming a significant manufacturing and development partner to Aspen in both Africa and Australasia. Today, I am happy to announce that we will forge an even closer partnership. This partnership will be extended to Latin America, Global Oncolytics, Co-pharma in the UK, and Nutraceuticals in South Africa. It has always been a part of the Aspen strategy to enter the Latin American pharmaceutical market. However, until now, we had been unable to find a platform company through which to enter these markets. We were fortunate enough that, through Strides, we have a partner who has had experience and success in this market. Cellofarm is the number two player in the Brazilian hospital market. Furthermore, it has sufficient presence to begin the process of leveraging Aspen’s extensive product portfolio into these markets. The addition of Aspen’s existing intellectual property (IP), Aspen’s front end marketing capabilities, and the combined pipelines of Strides will give impetus to Cellofarm in these branded generic markets. These markets are challenging and have high barriers to entry and, given this launch pad, they should prove key markets into the future for leveraging the significant IP that already vests with Aspen, as well as roll-out of the local manufacturing facilities. Strides and Aspen have a shared vision regarding sterile manufacture and the extension to Oncolytics will complete the basket to the existing capabilities that we are developing around hormonal and other sterile capabilities. We are excited by the opportunity these initiatives offer our organisations. I would also like to thank Arun Kumar, the Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Strides and his team for their efforts in achieving the above. Aspen has been privileged to have enjoyed this close partnership with Strides and from this we have drawn much confidence as we take this partnership to the next level. These investments in Latin America and Oncolytics are important strategic steps in the internationalisation of Aspen which I expect should be value enhancing for Aspen’s shareholders in the medium term. Furthermore, we have sold a majority share in Co-pharma and our South African Nutraceuticals business. We believe the Strides business model is better suited to creating value in these businesses.” The completion of the transactions is subject to the signing of legal agreements and is subject to the Exchange Control approval of the South African Reserve Bank and the approval of the Reserve Bank of India and Strides’ bankers and other financial institutions, as appropriate. Issued by: Shauneen Beukes, Shauneen Beukes Communications Tel: +27 12 661 8467 : Cell: 082 389 8900 Fax: +27 088 12 661 8467 On Behalf Of: Stephen Saad, Aspen Group CE Tel: +27 31 580-8602 Fax: +27 31 580 8640 Gus Attridge, Aspen Deputy Group CE Tel: +27 31 5808604 Fax: +27 31 580 8640 aspenpharma.com Arun Kumar, Strides Vice Chairman & MD or Ravi Seth, Strides Group CFO Tel: +91 80 6658 0110 Fax: +91 80 6658 0200 www.stridesarco.com Harini Iyengar, Adafctors PR, Bangalore Tel: +91 80 4113 32062/64 Fax: +91 80 4113 3059 The Transactions Details of each of the transactions outlined above are as follows: Aspen will acquire a 50% interest Strides Latina via the acquisition of shares from Strides for US$ 58.5 million and the subscription for shares in Strides-Aspen Latina (owned 100% by Strides) for US$94 million. This consideration is subject to adjustment should the earnings for the year following the effective date not reach certain levels. Following the first year after the effective date, Aspen will have an option to buy, and Strides to sell, Strides remaining 50% interest in Strides Latina. Aspen and Strides will enter into a 50% joint venture to develop, manufacture and commercialise oncology products. Aspen will purchase 50% of the issued share capital of Powercliff from Strides for US$25.75 million and will subscribe for 49% of the share capital of Onco and issued debt instruments for US$16.7